http://www.frieze.com/comment/article/music_theory/

“History is written by the victors.”

I fear he sensed all to well that the resounding boom of our greatest victory would continue to echo as a mandate not simply for what is righteous or necessary but also for our whims

For Mr Churchill also said:…

This, I believe, was the supposedly unfairly maligned product. Perhaps someone remembers the plucky reviewer.

It was. And it deserved it.

WEA took up the space I think. They also paid for a year's advertising in advance as I recall around the same time to allow RIU to continue, when…

or the if-you-can't -say-something-nice-you-get-no-more-ads-from-record-company-rule. I remember when Murray Cammick was threatened by a major record company that he'd lose the bill-paying regular full back cover ad if he gave a certain major act's most recent album a shitty review.

He ran it anyway, and another label took the space.

Good…

(Or George's spiritual perm.)

. . . Murray Cammick was threatened by a major record company . . .

Unless it happened more than once, that'd be the time when Murray had just got the news that one of his photos of Dylan at Western Springs had been used by some prestigious UK (I…

if-you-can't -say-something-nice-say-nothing rule.

or the if-you-can't -say-something-nice-you-get-no-more-ads-from-record-company-rule. I remember when Murray Cammick was threatened by a major record company that he'd lose the bill-paying regular full back cover ad if he gave a certain major act's most recent album a shitty review.

He ran it anyway, and another label took…

most people rarely play the second CD in a double CD set

Record companies do often throw all the self-indulgence and songs that didn't really work onto those, though.

I worked for several British music mags and alongside the really good people there were a lot of public schoolboys all frothing over this week's ordained cool record.

That's the UK all over, I'm afraid. A month here has reminded me of why I don't live here.

...the New Zealand…

The biggest problem by far was the news print guys internationally and local. The misquoting and use of bad or…

No... there was gardening to be getting on with, after all.

You forgot the 'I'm fabulously rich and I want to hang out with Formula 1 drivers and show off my new perm' period.

He never did it again.

No... there was gardening to be getting on with, after all.

Marbecks may have whored out to the evil corporate beast but I've always found the staff at both stores friendly, well-informed

Indeed, which is why they survived so long and the very reason folks still talk of the late Murray Marbeck with something that far exceeds simple respect. Roger, his…

That's using your power for good not evil. :)

Yeah he seemed to be the one to most enduringly have his finger on the pulse, some quality output. Also relevant, the success of the Travelling Wilburries speaks volumes as to his ability to forego the egocentrism and maintain a role in a collective.

'All Things Must Pass' [the song] is heartbreakingly beautiful.)

Thanks Danielle, gorgeous song to carry me to work. defintely more poignant and honest than the self conscious "when we were fab".

I'm compelled to mention George Harrison.

George also (narrowly) wins the Solo Album-Off with All Things Must Pass. That's what happens when they only give you two songs an album for eight years! (Also, I don't know what the alpha dogs were thinking by ignoring some of those songs since…

Thanks for having me on last night Russell.

You're really cute, Duncan. Deal with it. :)

Don't you be dissing the staff at Unity — they are lovely, lovely people and I won't hear a word against them. Especially that Toby chap.

The time I brought a copy of __Atlas…

Great thread, really enjoyed reading this. I'm compelled to mention George Harrison.

While I'm more an Elvis man, George Harrison has my endless props for financing HandMade Films — which brought us Monty Python's Life of Brian, Time Bandits, Mona Lisa, A Private Function and the eye-crossingly squalid majesty that…

Russell Brown (not an ass kiss, he wrote half the FN special issue I edited) and Paul McKessar's stuff in the '80s RIUs I've come across has been fantastic.

Some of it makes me cringe a bit now, but I've always been grateful for Murray Cammick's willingness to let me…

Gavin Bertram (massively under-rated in my opinion)

He's back in Dunedin, writing for D-Scene, I think. But yeah, I like(d) his reviews too- even if some of the metal he wrote about wasn't necessarily something I'd listen to, he always argued the case, for (or against) the music very well.…

I only met Louise Chunn briefly years later, and she was way cool.

Yep, indeed. I knew Louise pretty well in the early 1980s (her now ex-hubby Dominic Free also wrote a bit too) and still get the odd email from her, the last about 8 months back. She was…

at the likes of the NME (for every Charles Shaar Murray or Nick Kent there were 20 guys or gals we've largely forgotten)

Don't get me started. I worked for several British music mags and alongside the really good people there were a lot of public schoolboys all frothing over…

Have to agree with the nomination of John Russell, my first editor, and a guy whose broad tastes had a profound impact upon a whole generation of music geeks I know.

I think what John did really well – and you've done too — is to recognise that music writing…

Yes Donna, as mentioned, and from a couple of years before that, Louise Chunn who's gone on to some fairly stellar stuff in the UK.

I did like the way Donna Yuzwalk had her own perspective and damn the torpedoes. And she could write. Where is she now?

I only…

I did one…

Don't you be dissing the staff at Unity

heh, my comment was more about my own insecurities. I kinda like the mega bookstores of Asia as I can wander, look at the marginal books that might take my fancy and splurge on the odd bit of populist drivel every now…

I'm always worried that the volume I have in my hand at Unity is not quite literati enough.

Don't you be dissing the staff at Unity — they are lovely, lovely people and I won't hear a word against them. Especially that Toby chap.

Trivially, Geoff's dad used to be the caretaker at my high school. Talented family.

NickD

I can't claim credit for Nick, he was suggested to us by Geoff Wright and he was, as you say, rather perfect as a sales person. I used to love sitting with him on a Saturday and watching him take such joy from recommending music to people. I'm on…

I left and decided I could buy my obscure indie 7"s elsewhere and never returned.

Hear hear. I value those who take each customer as they are and then apply their expertise about what might work. I'd rather support Beat Merchants and the like, though I'm not averse to opportunistic…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU2ftCitvyQ

A woman doesn't have to walk into a record shop and hope she says 'the right thing' to get good, informed service.

I don't think that is a particularly female thing. Arrogant sales staff who look down their nose at the customer have always been a record shop disincentive to…

"Hang on! It were me that turned John onto self-indulgence in the first place!"

Snerk! :)

buying music is about 75% a boy thang....sorry Danielle (exception / rule etc)

Oh, you're totally right. I have spent many hours pondering why this is ('too much time on my hands', as those…

Paul is self-conscious; John is self-indulgent

Cue Sir Paul:
"Hang on! It were me that turned John onto self-indulgence in the first place!"

Not that it's relevant to anything, but most people rarely play the second CD in a double CD set, or take the book out of the CD case..also true...

I remember reading something a while ago which suggested the average number of albums a person owns is around 30 (this…

I miss John Russell

Same. A great writer with a wicked sense of humour when the moment merited it (and irreverently, often when it didn't).

where are the women writers

Yes Donna, as mentioned, and from a couple of years before that, Louise Chunn who's gone on to some fairly…

I think Axy said something like "Donna, Yuz-walk outta here!" or some such. If I recall correctly (and this is really shaky memory territory) she nevertheless gave a positive review to the concert performance.

And funny, no one's mentioned Nick Bollinger.

Nick Bollinger.

When I…

where are the women writers?

The only NZ woman rock writer I can remember was Donna Yuzwalk of Rip It Up. She infamously wrote something that pissed off Axl Rose, who dissed her at G 'n' R's Auckland concert. She was good.

But where are the women writers?

Because when…

where are the women writers?

Oh, women aren't into music. They just sing along with whatever comes on the radio. (Sarcasm tag, etc.)

I have to agree with Simon on Revolution In The Head. It's an amzing book no doubt, and generally insightful. But he rips apart Across The Universe and various other Lennon gems...oooh it makes me so made. I love the throwaway nature of something like I'm Only Sleeping.

As much…

Mathew Hyland had a style and was quite brave . I actually saw him get attacked once in a pub.Thats why i don't write,…

And those mullets he and Linda had through the seventies didn't help either...

My problem was more with the his and hers matching dungarees. I've always thought the Stella was some sort of odd freak event..she didn't get it from Mom and Pa

Sophie, you might mean Diamond Dogs but that probably pre-dated Proud Scum. That was the old Mojo trannie club, owned by Hugh Lynn which he opened up as Auckland's first dedicated punk club..predated Zwines. It didn't last long but he re-opened it again a bit later and…

Sophie, you might mean Diamond Dogs but that probably pre-dated Proud Scum. That was the old Mojo trannie club, owned by Hugh Lynn which he opened up as Auckland's first dedicated punk club..predated Zwines. It didn't last long but he re-opened it again a bit later…

no intellectualism to it at all which is a quite nice change for NZ music. We take our musicians far too seriously.

There is some irony in all that, in the Wellington was the nerve centre of the movement to over intellectualise pop music for many a decade. It always…

Today the God Of Fuck is merely the Petty Officer Of Fucking About; the Local Ombudsman Of Mildly Irritating Behaviour...

Now that's entertaining music writing! Although surely Manson being a dork doesn't exactly qualify as breaking news.

The Quietus is an excellent magazine and (I believe, but could be wrong) closely related to the Stool Pigeon, which is pretty much the only music magazine worth reading that I've found in London

Bruce, thanks for the tip. I'd never heard of the Stool Pigeon before but there's some…

As it happens, I'm not against critics flagging up influences in their reviews, but my problem with the "x mixed with y" approach is that it doesn't deal with the salient point- how is the work different and/or better than those pieces.

As a person who will just flick through…

Thanks for your help in tracking down Smithies, Pete. He and the family are staying an extra day up here so he can do the show.

Heh, excellent news! I look forward to it.

– Duncan Grieve
– Graham Reid
– Grant Smithies
– Shayne Carter(!)

Thanks for your help in tracking down Smithies, Pete. He and the family are staying an extra day up here so he can do the show.

he always needs to over-compensate for the criticism

I agree, but to be fair, there's still an awful lot of kneejerk Paul Sucks-ism out there. I can see why he would be annoyed. Those Rolling Stone interviews John did during his angry phase, plus his untimely death are really a…

Re FFD. I find it best not to consider them reggae at all. I like them best in gentle skank mode, or as souful dubby house ala the Big BW album, that works well, reminiscent of your Berlin folks such as Noiseshaper or Boozoo…

Grigg esquire, punk detective

Kinky Friedman watch your back...
there's a new wave of
music private eye in town!
More Marlowe than Mahler,
less hammered than Hammett...
There's gotta be a series in it...
...or at least an entertaining one off.
To the Noir-Mobile and away...…

Grigg esquire, punk detective.

and I quote....

a faint memory

One person I do remember was Rob from the MeeMees had a sister who I am sure was called Jo (then again I could be wrong).

Maybe Rob Schrieber, whose sister was Sue. He wasn't a Meemee but around. Or maybe Tony from The Screaming Meemees. His elder sister married…

I vaguely recall when the guy lay around in zwines for the night and very few I was with even noticed anything unusual about that.

There was a very dark side to the whole Auckland punk scene.

Yeah, I remember that night pretty well. It caused quite a fuss over…

That said, the writing and coverage of virtually every other area of film is so good that I can forgive them.

Yes, very much so. The August 2009 feature on the gangster figure in American films is superb. I also read all the reviews, even for films I may never…

As much…

He should be satisfied with being Paul Fucking McCartney for heavens sake, with perhaps the greatest body of pop music in the last century under his belt.

But if he was satisfied with being Paul McCartney, he wouldn't be Paul McCartney. :)

Certainly, compared to Sight & Sound, which shares the same publishing house, it feels disappointing. For one, S&S seems to deal with "the now" while still retaining a robust and intelligent dialogue, not to mention covering an extremely wide range in styles and eras

(Presuming we are talking about the same __Sight…

it's definitely the work of Terry Hogan.

Oversight, esp since Terry sent me the JPG to replace my scan of my battered copy. Will fix now.

My favourite Beatles book, hands down.

I love the book too but thoroughly disagree with large parts of what he says. He comes across as a McCartney apologist which I think is rather unnecessary at any time. And he's not at all good on Lennon, so much so I've slammed…

Dunno if you've seen this?

Thank you.
BTW the Chris Knox with mike gaffered to head poster appears to be missing a credit. Like the lovely black & white Terrorways further down the page, it's definitely the work of Terry Hogan.

Were you there for the balcony collapse?That was a bit of fun Ahh, the good ol' daze :)

I watched someone leap off the balcony into the pinball machine on the floor below on opening night.

It didn't work after that.

Don't recall the balcony collapse but was always dodgy.…

Mull of Kintyre is only tolerable because of the bagpipes. I like the bagpipes.

I can't deny the work is a mighty achievement

My favourite Beatles book, hands down. Nerd alert: I have played all the songs in order while reading each entry. And that was when I had just the LPs, so it required a bit of jiggery-pokery.

If I could write and play bass lines even half as great as those on Something, Come Together, Drive My Car I'd be happy. As it is I don't even pick my bass up and play it as often as I should.

I know it's the ultimate Beatles cliche to…

Whatever Paul's excesses and failings, they're absolved just by Lady Madonna.

If I could write and play bass lines even half as great as those on Something, Come Together, Drive My Car I'd be happy. As it is I don't even pick my bass up and play it as often…

And Stella's styling him now so he's rather presentable too.

I'm thrilled someone finally got through to him on the hair dye. Jet black was not your friend, Paul.

Weirdly, I got no beef with 'Mull of Kintyre'. Even if it was number one for nine hundred years. And had…

God, I used to be such a music magazine fiend. Had a compactum full of NME

I had a fairly hefty number of much loved NMEs from the 70s when living with Brendan and Johnny from The Scavengers in 77-78, until one day coming home to find most gone.

They'd…

Surely though the mark of a good music writer is one that makes you immediately want to possess that piece of music from an artist you've never heard before/wish you had been to that gig.

Of course- indeed that should be the role of any critic, regardless of the art…

In terms of print, Decibel covers metal but also goes a little broader and can be a good read. The Wire, too, in a good month. They can do archival stuff without it being Mojo or Q-like grave-robbing: with Mojo, you seem to get Pink Floyd on the cover every…

The problem at times with a magazine like this is the expectation that every NZ release should have a reasonably positive review which can be hard to do.

The only way to deal with 'expectations' like that is: "Let me direct your call to the advertising department." Otherwise, you're just…

I've made my share of "barbecue reggae" jokes about various wellydub acts, and I never play FFD records.

But I've seen them live three times in three different settings, and FFD really impressed me every time. Maybe you have to be a reggae fan to be tickled when the horns…

Even if the music's not your bag, the way they run themselves is admirable.

Couldn't agree more. I preferred Trinity Roots anyway over FFD.

I grew up reading Q and Australian Rolling Stone in the 90s...both terrible magazines

So true.

You have to Sweetman credit though for the shitstorm he created over Fat Freddy's Drop earlier in the year.

Yes, I did kind of admire that. I've made my share of "barbecue reggae" jokes about various wellydub acts, and I never play FFD records.

But I've seen them live three…

So, cos he hasn't been mentioned yet ... best EVAH NZ music critic – Gordon Campbell in his heyday at the Listener.

You know, the one I remember is his brutal assessment of Billy Joel's Glass Houses (I think it was that one, with 'Still Rock 'n' Roll To Me')..…

I was in my late teens, most impressionable age, but he turned me onto so much music that to this day is among the best I've ever heard.

Band On The Run has its own bloated glory as well.

I *love* Band on the Run. I'll happily listen to that sucker end to end.

(When he dies and everyone does the big Critical Rediscovery of Paul, I'll be over here in the Always Thought Paul Got a Bad…

Never thought I'd see someone try to mount a defence of Paul McCartney and Wings.

The first Wings album, Wildlife, is fantastic. Band On The Run has its own bloated glory as well. I also really like the first solo McCartney record (just called McCartney I think), it's kooky.

I'm…

Of the local music bloggers, I'd like to see Hannah Sarney writing more — I've really enjoyed some of her reviews. She just photoblogs these days. Bah. Lazy kids.

John Campbell and I were actually excited by the NME when we were teenagers. And even though I often hated what someone like Dave Marsh was saying in the US, he was a great writer. I'm kinda not seeing that now.

Perhaps we're now the old men who took one…

I've been reading a lot recently about the death of sports-writing. Something that's been predicted many times before going through a resurgence. Seems like it's not a genre specific complaint..."back in my day..."

here is a good piece on Radiohead re-issues;

See, that reads pretty workmanlike to me, as does most of the present indie journalism. I'm looking for the equivalent of the record you bring home and play in your bedroom for the next two hours.

Or, closer to home, the journalism…

the local RTR Countdown magazine (deputy ed Finlay MacDonald!)

I think you'll find that deputy ed was Steve Braunias.

Oh God, I was only 12!

I remember Gary Steel was the editor and Finlay was on staff – to the point where there was a hilarious photo of him published…

I quite like the writing in Un-Cut, but my main source of music writing is Pitchfork.

I'd also rate The Quietus as a web-only music magazine. They do a good "In defence of" column. Never thought I'd see someone try to mount a defence of Paul McCartney and Wings.

In…

here is a good piece on Radiohead re-issues;

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12938-pablo-honey-collectors-edition-the-bends-collectors-edition-ok-computer-collectors-edition/

Their TV section is also great, but quite often doesn't load properly…

Around 1978 there was even a Donny & Marie doll house, complete with hand-operated elevator

I am now experiencing a deep, primal desire for something I didn't even know I was missing. (There must be a German word for that.)

Is the consensus that MMM was nothing more than a joke? Or was he serious?

from Wikipedia:

As a radical departure from the rest of Reed's catalog, Metal Machine Music is generally considered to be either a joke, a grudging fulfillment of a contractual obligation, or an early example of…

What was the point he was making?

You tell me and we'll both know — though I think it was something along the lines of 'everything and everyone (but me) sucks like a porn star with OCD'.

Is the consensus that MMM was nothing more than a joke? Or was…

Donny and Marie Osmond. It was the theme song to their show.
I feel old.

Gaaawd. Around 1978 there was even a Donny & Marie doll house, complete with hand-operated elevator – and separate bedrooms, natch. As Wayne (now Jayne) County once said of D & M: "I know they don't really…

The time when he pasted in an old (and rather poor) column he'd written about Shihad to make some sort of point about NZ Music Month was a low point.

What was the point he was making?

If you want to clear those jammy pipes, Metal Machine Music is cheaper and more effective than P in a bottle.

Is the consensus that MMM was nothing more than a joke? Or was he serious?
And has anyone listened to the whole thing? I see Lou Reed himself only…

the local RTR Countdown magazine (deputy ed Finlay MacDonald!)

I think you'll find that deputy ed was Steve Braunias.

Not masturbating, but certainly having fun with his genitals.

I don't know if there's an anatomically-correct equivalent for the ladyze, but if you shake it more than twice you're wanking. As for the other, that monkey has a long and profitable career ahead of him in a rather icky niche…

The Australian edition of Smash Hits and the local RTR Countdown magazine (deputy ed Finlay MacDonald!) were far more influential on my writing than the boring old NME ever was.

Smash Hits was founded by…

Nothing qualifies you but your ears and your writing.

Quite right. The blessing of not having robbery around the place now is that I don't have anyone telling me I'm not "qualified" to express an opinion because I don't run a non-profit record label or something.

But I'd have to…

Speaking of cheap-but-sorta-funny shots in music reviews, I believe Pitchfork reviewed a Jet album by posting a YouTube clip of a monkey masturbating.

Not masturbating, but certainly having fun with his genitals.

I've got a dollar for anyone who can tell me what qualifies him to 'write' about music...I think he worked in a music shop at some point, in which case, colour him qualified!

Nothing qualifies you but your ears and your writing. In fact the idea of having to qualify…

Wait. But he wasn't at all concerned about running an iron over her?

I seem to remember he used to place a sheet of brown paper between the iron and the NME (to stop the paper scorching and to protect the iron from the NME's infamous unstable ink), so I…

Ooo harsh. I think he's a drummer too who has played in a number of covers bands.

Perhaps he should have stuck to that ...

There sure ain't a shortage of bad music writers...Simon Sweetman anyone?

I've got a dollar for anyone who can tell me what qualifies him to 'write' about music...I think he worked in a music shop at some point, in which case, colour him qualified!

Ooo harsh. I think he's a…

And if there was a pic of Debbie Harry in that week's copy he'd buy two – one for cutting the picture out and sticking it on his wall, and the other to iron and keep in pristine condition.

Wait. But he wasn't at all concerned about running an iron…

And if there was a pic of Debbie Harry in that week's copy he'd buy two – one for cutting the picture out and sticking it on his wall, and the other to iron and keep in pristine condition.

Deeply, deeply tragic.

When I was at varsity in the UK in the early 80s (god I'm old!) my best mate Sturat so venerated his copies of the NME that he would iron them to make sure they remained uncreased. And if there was a pic of Debbie Harry in…

Pitchfork media 's good, if a little up themselves.

It does have the faint air of people grossly over-compensating for their unhappy years of high school social pariah-dom. "I'm the cool kid now – and you can go sit by the dumpsters!" :)

Waaaaah! I'm off my face on cough…

Grant Smithies is the best music writer in the country I reckon.

His book of NZ albums was a beauty I thought. But NZ has been very lucky over the years and the legacy of Roger Jarrett's mighty Hot Licks and of course Mo's Rip It Up is still very…

My 16 year old daughter is currently keen on Kerrang, even though she does acknowledge that it is filled with look-alike/sound-alike hairy boy groups.

Ahhhh, Kerrang. I was reading that when I was sixteen, too. That would have been at least mumble mumble number of decades ago.

It gives me…

I thought I was dating myself horribly

Saves money on drinks.

Perhaps I'm a crusty old bastard myself, but Griel Marcus and Lester Bangs were writers for whom you had to sift through a lot of pretentious, or flat out incomprehensible, dross to find the (admittedly damn sparkly) gems.

Waaaaah! I'm off my face on cough syrup and I'm going to…

My vote's with Duncan Greive, always interesting and as someone who's worked closely with the man recently, his work rate is also phenomenal.

Yes, I have a lot of time for Duncan, and I'm really pleased it's working out for him.

Grant Smithies is the best music writer in the country I reckon. And not just because he likes what I like, hates what I hate, and is a mate :)

My vote's with Duncan Greive, always interesting and as someone who's worked closely with the man recently, his work rate…

My favoured perspectives on music is Grant Smithies, Nick Bollinger Graeme Reid in NZ --and from abroad--the UK mag The Word (their tagline "Intelligent Life on Planet Rock"). They always have sharp writing, don't stint on criticism…

The other part of the show picks up on John Harris's recent feature for the Guardian Review, which asks: where have all the good music writers gone?

Ah... its an interesting piece, but was I the only one who detected an element of 'get off my lawn you pissant kids,…

I feel old.

I make 'a little bit country' Osmond references all the time. I thought I was dating myself horribly, but it turns out I'm actually referencing South Park and am down with Teh Libertarian Yoof. Who knew?

It's a shame he's being watered down into writing a load of general feature stuff for the SST, although I'm…

I've got a dollar for anyone who can tell me what qualifies him to 'write' about music...I think he worked in a music shop at some point, in which case, colour him qualified!

Of course, they might have been referencing something else which I have no idea about...

Er, yeah: Donny and Marie Osmond. It was the theme song to their show.

I feel old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AfXznngjGw

Hooray for South Park references!

Did I?